Which character does Marlon Brando play in The Godfather?

Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone in The Godfather.

Vito is the head of the Corleone family at the beginning of the 1972 film. Known as the Godfather, he is a powerful organized-crime leader whose authority comes from personal loyalty, negotiation, and a network of obligations.

Brando’s performance became one of the most recognizable portrayals in American film. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, but he declined the award at the ceremony. The character was later portrayed as a young man by Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II.

Vito is often confused with Michael Corleone, his youngest son. Michael is played by Al Pacino and gradually becomes the family’s central leader. Vito’s story and Michael’s rise form the trilogy’s main generational arc.